I didn't really realize I missed this til I was looking through these pictures from our recent girls trip to New York...

Let me explain.

We went to the Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea which was divine, especially after a super chaotic day and a half of trying to squeeze in as much as we possibly could into such a short trip.

Before tea, my friend Ashley and I stepped out to shoot these pictures. The street was darkened, covered in long dramatic shadows from the buildings surrounding us, even though it was bright and sunny out.

I realized as I looked back at this moment how much I miss the shadowed streets of city living. The way you can get lost in a pocket of a street and pretty much hide in broad daylight. You get lost in a sea of people passing by, all trying to go their own way, not giving any mind to you.

I know, that sounds a little dark. I admit when I first left Chicago, it was nice to have people meet your eye and say hello when crossing their paths while walking in Salt Lake or even on a hike in the mountains.

I've always really enjoyed living in dark spaces. It's funny because most people want natural light and windows but I always loved my shotgun-style apartment in the heart of downtown Chicago. I even covered the front window with a giant wardrobe. It was like I could go home and hide in my apartment. If you want to see, here's a feature post full of photos of my apartment before we moved. I lived right in the loop back in Chicago and loved to take walks at night through the financial district, Millennium Park and by the Sears Tower. It was such a cool feeling to be in places that are so alive in the daytime, but feel like a ghost town at night. Probably not the safest hobby, but I am still here to tell the tale! It was my own little relationship with my city and I could decide how to enjoy it. It's almost as if you claim each spot as your own when you are alone in it. When you have your own moment with a busy spot, you form a relationship and memory with it even though it's just a spot on the concrete.

I loved that you could leave your apartment wearing whatever you wanted. Every time you step out the door you can be a new person. Run to the drug store in your PJs, or wearing a cute dress to meet friends. I'll never forget the strange and exciting feeling of walking onto Halsted, my old street in Chicago, in my wedding dress. What surreal moments you can create on busy city streets!

So maybe I'm not like everyone else who's chasing the sunlight, but I love that hidden feeling you can get in big cities. Strange how in the places that are the most over populated, you can feel the most hidden and small.

So now that I've shared my weird little mole-person ways with you, Anyone else feel like this? What is your relationship with your city or did you even realize you had one?

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